


FOUND DAZE

by Nanayon



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: Fic from Shintaro's first person POV, Gen, they/them pronouns for Takane, tw for mentions of death murder and canon violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28617117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanayon/pseuds/Nanayon
Summary: With Saeru defeated, the Mekakushi Dan takes the opportunity to tie some loose ends before returning from the Kagerou Daze. Haruka needs his body to come back, so Shintaro and Takane accompany him on his journey to find it.
Relationships: Enomoto Takane | Ene & Kisaragi Shintaro, Enomoto Takane | Ene & Kokonose Haruka | Konoha, Kisaragi Shintaro & Kokonose Haruka | Konoha
Kudos: 10





	FOUND DAZE

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I got this idea in my head some time ago, and finally got around to turn it into a concrete fic! It's one of those things that is implied to have happened in MCA, but never happened on screen, so this was free real estate to me!

“This… All of this feels so surreal.”

Enomoto commented while looking around them and prickling their still newly regained skin. The scenario around us was filled with telephone poles and other bizarre architectural features. Our walk created ripples in the lilac water we stepped on, as it has done for what feels like hours. It’s hard to say whether that is truly the case in the Kagerou Daze.

“I know, right?” Haruka-senpai replied. “I spent most of my time here bedridden, but whenever I did have the opportunity to look around alongside Ayano-chan, I couldn’t help but feel impressed with the scenery. I’ll give this to this place, it can be sort of artistically inspiring.”

“I bet that you’d rather get inspiration from landscapes in the real world, though.” I said.

“Oh, definitely, Shintaro-kun. You don’t need to doubt that.”

The three of us chuckled lightly, as we kept walking towards our goal. That being, to find Haruka’s body.

After Marry dragged everyone into the Kagerou Daze, we got to witness that bastard Saeru be consumed by its own need of a wish to survive, finally stopping its menace once and for all. But that by itself didn’t mean that we could all go home just yet. Since we were already here, we decided, why not take the opportunity to tie some loose ends related to this place that pretty much all of us have?

Of course, even the Daze doesn’t provide truly unlimited time for this stuff. It was already about 11:50 PM when we were swallowed, and if midnight arrives in the real world, this year’s August 15th will finish and we will all be stuck here for way too long. To prevent that, Hibiya-kun got the duty to keep track over the passage of time in the real world. With his Focusing Eyes, he can watch over any given clock in the real world, which I got to explain to him how to do before the three of us got into this journey.

As for why us three specifically… Well, everyone else is currently busy with their own stuff. Ayano is talking to her parents, same as Marry with her mother. Kido is spending time with their sister, and Seto is probably fluffing his dog with love. Hibiya-kun is doing his aforementioned vigil while spending time with Hiyori-chan. Kano… I’m not quite sure. Perhaps Tateyama-san got to talk to his biological mom beforehand? Perhaps she is apologizing to him, or something. I didn’t pry on it to be sure.

Momo is talking to our father. ...I did that in past timelines. She can’t remember past times she did the same as I can, so I figured that she deserved a chance for that conversation more than I did. After all, I hope that this is the last time such an opportunity will present itself to us.

So, that leaves Haruka-senpai, Enomoto and I. Neither of us had people that entered the Daze alongside us, so the loose tie we have left is of another nature. Well, that Haruka-senpai has, mostly. Mine was something that I handled when I entered this place earlier, and that I’ll likely keep working on for the next few weeks and months. Enomoto just got their body back and is clearly still a bit overwhelmed by all the senses they got back alongside it, which being stuck at the Daze doesn’t help with.

But Haruka… his body is still somewhere here. Saeru was the last being piloting it, so when it was taken underwater as we all witnessed… Well, the body was sent somewhere away from our location, and thus the three of us are now roaming the surrounding area in search of it. After all, Haruka-senpai can’t return to the real world alongside us without that. That much was made clear when I tried bringing him back on my previous trip.

“Gaaaaaah, how much longer will we have to walk around here? I’m tired of all of this stupid heat!” Enomoto groaned. “This makes absolutely no sense.”

“I mean, this place in general doesn’t make much sense.” I remarked back. “It has its inner rules, sure, but we aren’t exactly dealing with the usual way that water would carry bodies around back in our home. Were that the case, I could have tried to calculate the probable trajectory and come up with a certain route for us to walk through.”

“Heh, of course you would, you NERD. Getting a power of your own sure didn’t change that about you, eh?”

“You're one to talk about not changing at all, Enomoto. Look at you, what is up with your attire? You telling me that, in this world, two years have passed and you still chose to don the same school outfit and hairdo you had before you became Ene?!”

“What's wrong with that? It’s what was available in the laboratory!!”

“I mean, I’ve seen you getting your body back before. Your hair is usually longer, which tells me that you likely got it cut here, and Kano generally has the foresight to bring you different clothing.”

That one could be because Enomoto got their body back relatively early in this timeline, though. Kano might not have managed to find an outfit for them in time.

“S-So what? At least I _care_ for my personal hygiene, which is more than I can say about you!”

“H-Hey, don’t talk about that in front of Haruka-senpai!”

“Hahahaha!! Wow… I really missed seeing you two, guys.”

The two of us cut our bantering short at the sound of Haruka-senpai’s voice, then turned to face him.

“Really… From what I was able to see through Konoha, both of you dealt with a lot these past two years, huh? But he didn’t get to see you talking together. Not in this world, at least. Perhaps Shintaro-kun would remember a world where he got to do so. But for me… It’s really been a long since the three of us got together like this in any fashion… It’s a nice feeling.”

Haruka-senpai blushes as he says that… and both Enomoto and I end up blushing as well as a result. I opened my mouth to comment something in response, but Enomoto was quick to push Haruka to the side, in typical Enomoto fashion.

“...Dumbass. I missed you too.”

Haruka simply laughed in response, and I couldn’t avoid chuckling a bit myself. He is right. It’s been quite a while, no? The three of us plus Ayano… When this is over, we’ll manage to be together again, huh?

I don’t know if it’s gonna be the exact same as before. I find that highly unlikely, actually. But… It’d still be a ‘happy ending’ of sorts for us, right?

* * *

Even more ‘hours’ pass, and the three of us are still going on our journey. Enomoto and I have been turned into buckets of sweat, while Haruka-senpai looks fresh as usual. Guess that is an advantage of not having a body, huh?

“It’s not faaaaaair…” Enomoto whines. “How come I get to languish like this under the heat, while you get to stand all clean and proper like that, Haruka?”

“Hehe, perhaps all the time I spent in that hospital room rubbed on me with its freshness~?”

“I kinda find it… a bit funny that you are bothered by the heat… Enomoto.” I say while panting between my words. “Now that I think… about it, you appearing… in the Daze like ‘Takane’ is not the most… typical way I’ve seen you here.”

“Eeeeeeh? What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, it’s like… Haruka-senpai once explained to me that… The way you appear in the Daze has to do… with how you see yourself in your mind, even… if that isn’t exactly how your body looks.”

“Uh? I-I mean, that’s correct, Shintaro-kun, but how did you know- Oh.” Haruka-senpai cuts himself short, once he notices my red eyes. “I see. In another life, right?”

“Yes.” I nod. “In other worlds where… we ended up in the Daze, you… usually look like Ene, instead. Would… a cyber being be bothered by the heat?”

“...First, this whole ‘other worlds’... _thing_ you got going for you now is still… pretty creepy, in my eyes. Second…” Enomoto rubbed their chin. “I can do that here…? Hmmmm……”

Enomoto stood still for a while… and suddenly, their eyes flashed red. Blue lightning manifested in their position, bright enough that Haruka-senpai and I had to cover our eyes. When that dissipated… Ene’s form was floating right around, a giant grin in her face.

_“Aaaaaah, this feels much better! No heat, no drowsiness, aaaaall cute and free! Thanks for the suggestion, ‘Master~’!”_

“Heh… I guess you are welc- Hey, hey! Stop poking me like that, Ene!”

_“Why? You were the one okay with me manifesting myself in all my cybernetic glory! Now face the consequences, you NEET!!”_

What have I done? I’ve unleashed a demon!! Ene is now prodding on me in a direct way that I never asked for, all while Haruka-senpai laughs at my misery!! Why can’t he see that I’m an unjust victim of undeserved teasing?!

...Okay, I may deserve a bit of this. But still!!!

“Pfffft, you two sure got close during this time! I’m really happy to see tha-”

All of a sudden… Haruka-senpai’s demeanor changed considerably. Ene and I stopped our bickering and looked at him, then to where he was so intensely staring at.

...It was a shore. At last, we found the place where the watery floor ended and was substituted by actual ground. And laid down on that shore was… _what we had been looking for._

Black Konoha’s form was spread around in a very awkward position, like a puppet that had its strings cut. No sign of life came from it. No breathing, no twitching, nothing. Haruka-senpai grimaced at the sight.

“To think… My Eye Ability has been the source of you folks’ doom so many times, apparently. I’m sorry, everyone.”

“What? No way, Senpai, nothing that Saeru did was your fault!”

_“Yeah! Even that fake- I-I mean, Konoha, it wasn’t even his fault even!”_

“B-But still! If I hadn't wished to have a strong body…”

“If you had not wished for that, you wouldn’t even have gotten a chance to come back with us like this. ...It’s alright, Senpai. Leave thinking about the past to me. You should worry solely about the future.”

“I-I guess…” He gulps, seemingly unsure of what to say. And then… he smiles. “Okay. I’ll do my best to live my life from now on. Life… alongside the friends that I care about. And hopefully new ones too!”

_“Hopefully?”_

“I-I mean, I know that the other members of the Dan became friends with Konoha, but I’m not Konoha, a-and they might not like me taking over-”

_“Haruka, if anyone rejects you under that basis, I’ll smack them with no hesitance. Believe me.”_

...I must say, seeing Ene display actual Enomoto-like aggressiveness in her voice frightens me deeply.

“...You're going in, then?”

“I guess? I’m not really sure of what is going to happen if I touch it.”

“Well… You told me - in another world, I should specify - that the reason you were left in the Daze was because the body that Awakening Eyes created was too strong for you to handle. So I suppose you could maybe try toning it down a bit?”

“Right… Perhaps I should just… focus on having a body that would allow me to stay by my friends’ side for longer. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular or superhuman. You hear that, Konoha?”

The body said nothing in response.

Haruka stood by the body’s side, then proceeded to kneel down and slowly, but surely, approach a hand towards its torso…

_“...Haruka will be fine, right?”_

“That, I can only hope for.”

Once Haruka touched the body, his figure began to glow, as if his essence was discarding the ‘shell’ it had been using to look as if he were corporeal up until now. That amorphous glow then entered Black Konoha’s body, which, for a moment, glowed the same way.

The following moment… **Black Konoha opened his eyes.**

“-!!”

Those yellow, snake-like eyes stared vacantly at their surroundings, as Black Konoha stood up with astonishing speed. And then, as his eyes shifted from yellow to glowing red, black snakes began sprouting from his frame, which coalesced around him until his whole frame had been taken over by a black mass.

_“T-That’s the same thing that happened when Konoha was possessed by that snake!”_

“It’s Awakening Eyes… This black aura is a tell-tale sign of its activation!”

Ene rushes behind me in fear, and I can’t blame her. Logically, I know that this sight was to be expected, and yet, I can’t help but to feel my heart pump so fast that I can hear the blood thumping in my ears. Flashes from previous timelines flowed through my mind in fast succession, where that black mass’ apparition was soon followed by blood and screams and violence and death and so much more. I could even see it leading to Saeru shifting Haruka’s body into something even more monstrous, reflecting that snake’s heart and its desire to kill us all-

“Whew… That was sure something, huh?”

...Only for those images to immediately be dissipated as, once the black mass dissolved itself, rather than a murderous creature, there stood instead Haruka, with those big donut-like eyes and a wide, goofy smile on his face, all while he wore Konoha’s outfit.

“Well, that’s… that’s certainly new.” I commented.

Ene and I blinked while frozen in place for a few seconds… before Ene flew towards him and pulled his ear.

_“YOU ASSHOLE, YOU ALMOST GAVE US A HEART ATTACK THERE!!”_

“Weeeeeeh!! S-Shintaro-kun, help meeee!!”

“E-Ene, stop that!”

Once we finally managed to make her stop trying to hit him, Ene proceeded to hug Haruka tightly, all while hiding her face from us.

_“...Welcome back, Haruka. I missed you.”_

“I missed you too, Senpai.”

“Hey, why are you standing afar like that, Shintaro-kun? C’mon, join us!”

“What do you mean- OOF!!”

Haruka didn’t hesitate to pull me into a hug with an arm, while his other hugged Ene. From this angle, I could see the tears falling down his face, and my eyes soon watered up in response as well.

We would all finally be together once again. That’s the happy ending we had been looking for, after having had to deal with grief across so many worlds, isn’t it? It felt… nice. Peaceful. Hopeful. When was the last time that I genuinely felt those things?

* * *

“Heh, you kept Konoha’s markings in your face.”

_“And your hair is lighter now! Have you been secretly considering to dye it?”_

“Hahahaha, well! Since this power of mine allowed me to change my body like this, I thought of taking the opportunity to change my look a bit! I’ve spent an eternity in this place with the same face, thought that it’d be interesting to spice things up a bit~!”

“...It does suit you.” I say, blushing a bit.

_“And yet, you are still wearing the same outfit as Konoha! Did you spend all of your creativity in your face?”_

“W-Well, I’m still new on actually being able to directly use my power.” Haruka-senpai replies bashfully while lightly scratching his own cheek. “I didn’t want to risk something going wrong by thinking too hard about my clothing, so I just cleaned away Saeru’s traits from my look. Haaaah…~”

“I guess you can just buy new clothing once we’re back, then.”

 _“Oh, don’t even remind me of that.”_ Ene replies. _“If only changing clothes in a physical body were as simple as selecting options in one of those dress up games in Momo-chan’s phone…”_

“Hey, you three, hurry up! We don’t have much time left!”

The call made us cut our conversation short. It was Hibiya-kun, whose red eyes told me that he had been keeping his duty of checking on the real world. He stood alongside the Mekakushi Dan, who were all reunited in front of a portal to the real world.

“It’s already 11:59 PM on the other side. It’s now or never if we want to return!”

“Alright, we’re coming!” I shout at him, before turning back to Haruka and Enomoto, who had taken the opportunity to return to their human appearance.

“...So. Let’s go?”

“Yeah, let’s- ghrk!”

“Haruka! What happened?!”

“Aaah, I’m fine, it’s just… I’m just not used to walking with my legs. It’s been so long since…”

“C’mon, lemme help you. Shintaro, grab Haruka by the other side, ok?”

“A-Ah, I’ll try!”

As expected, I had a hard time keeping Haruka in place, even with Enomoto’s support. Still, I wouldn’t refuse this task. It’s the least I can do for my best friend, after all.

“Well… Let’s go home.”

We nodded. And so, we found ourselves leaving this world of fantasy, ready to tackle reality in all of its facets.


End file.
